His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik and His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen during the Opening of the Playing of Traditional Musical Instruments at the Lapau in Bandar Seri Begawan

The Royalties entering the Lapau before the proceedings

The Golden Jubilee Celebration of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s Accession to the Throne began yesterday with the Majlis Istiadat Membuka Gendang Jaga-Jaga or the Opening of the Playing of Traditional Musical Instruments at the Lapau in Bandar Seri Begawan.  The Majlis Istiadat Membuka Gendang Jaga-Jaga was conducted in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince.

Upon arrival, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was welcomed by Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Lela Cheteria Sahibun Najabah Pengiran Anak Haji Abd Aziz bin Pengiran Jaya Negara Pengiran Haji Abu Bakar. Also present were His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik and His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen and other members of the Royal Family.

Soon after His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was seated, the Juru Laki Awang Haji Johan Areffen bin Hassan, accompanied by other musicians entered, bearing traditional musical instruments such as Serunai or Flutes and Gendang Labek or a type of drum and took their seats at a specially allocated position.

The ceremony began with Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa (Retired) Major General Dato Seri Pahlawan Awang Haji Mohammad bin Haji Daud informing Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Lela Cheteria Sahibun Najabah Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Aziz that the Istiadat Membuka Gendang Jaga-Jaga was in place to proceed.

Yang Amat Mulia in turn informed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that the ceremony was in place to proceed. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince subsequently instructed for the Istiadat Membuka Gendang Jaga-Jaga to commence.

The Juru Laki Awang Haji Johan Areffen proceeded to the Patarana from the left-hand side to lift the Nakara, a type of kettle drum, and bore it upon his head. Nakara is one of the royal regalia used in an Istiadat such as the Golden Jubilee Celebration of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s Accession to the Throne. The Nakara is the top among the traditional items or the Naubat. Due to these, it is located higher compared to the other Naubat items and carried by the Juru. It is also placed in a special position – on top of the crown box. It is said that the Nakara’s sahap is made from Tuma’s skin.

The beating of the Nakara then commenced followed by the playing of Gendang Labek, Serunai accompanied by Agong and Chanang, types of gongs.  The beating of the Nakara was accompanied by a twenty-one cannon-fire salute.

It was followed by the beatings of Gendang Alih-alihan Tengah and Gendang Alih-alihan Hujung, until finally reaching the titir Gendang Perang or War Drum beats. The Istiadat Membuka Gendang Jaga-Jaga is carried out in a special ceremony, just like the The Istiadat Membuka Naubat or Opening of Naubat. However, it is conducted in a specific time, same as other regular ceremonies. The venue, guest, rules, how the ceremony is carried out as well as the lifting of the Nakara is similar to the Istiadat Membuka Naubat. The only difference is that the Istiadat Membuka Gendang jaga-jaga began with the beatings of Gendang Perang, followed by Alih-Alihan Tengah, Alih-Alihan hujung and ended with Gendang Perang.

Doa Selamat was read by Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia Doctor Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned, the State Mufti.

The Juru Laki Awang Haji Johan Areffen sought consent to carry the Nakara through the centre of the audience. The Nakara was then returned to its original location.

Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Retired Major General Dato Seri Pahlawan Awang Haji Mohammad then informed Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Lela Cheteria Sahibun Najabah Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Aziz that the Istiadat Membuka Gendang Jaga-Jaga has been duly carried out. Yang Amat Mulia in turn informed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that the ceremony has been duly carried out.

His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, The Crown Prince instructed Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa (Retired) Major General Dato Seri Pahlawan Awang Haji Mohammad to confer His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam that the Majlis Istiadat Membuka Gendang Jaga-Jaga for the Golden Jubilee Celebration of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s Accession to the Throne was duly carried out.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince then left the ceremony. Present at the ceremony were Pengiran Cheterias, Cabinet ministers, Members of Councils, Deputy Ministers, Pengiran-Pengiran Peranakan, Pehin-Pehin Manteri, Manteri-Manteri Hulubalang, Manteri-Manteri Pedalaman, Heads of Diplomatic Missions, Members of the Legislative Council, Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Government Department. News courtesy of RTB and images courtesy of Information Department.

Members of the Royal Family

The Juru Laki Awang Haji Johan Areffen sought consent to carry the Nakara through the centre of the audience

The musicians belting traditional music to signify the opening of @hmjubliemas

The beating of the Nakara was accompanied by a twenty-one cannon-fire salute nearby Lapau

Aziz Harun with his constant supporters, Family, at the recent launch of his latest music video, Jangan

Sometimes I am amazed that we do have what it takes to be talented artist. But we also need to have that perseverance, hard work and dedication to make it successful. It’s never easy especially when you have to juggle with education, a high school graduate from Jerudong International School.

A very humble person, it’s no surprise that Aziz Harun has made it a name for himself in Brunei and yes, he is only 18 (now you can drive, bro). I wished I am still around that age because it’s always great to feel youthful.

Aziz Harun’s latest single, “Jangan”, has been released successfully on iTunes and also the launched of the official music video produced by Bahzi Damit @beedee.creative. So far the music video has garnered around 40,000 views in just two days into the release and now has hit over 120,000 views. Amazing!! Aziz Harun’s first single, “Senyum”, did break the milestone in terms of views on youtube (over 2 million views). Let’s see if he’s able to break his record.

The sneak preview of “Jangan” took place at Bang & Olufsen signature store at Sejalin Living last Wednesday, attended by Aziz Harun’s family and friends and of course, the social influencers. Sorry that I wasn’t able to attend your mini gig then.

Aziz Harun is currently in Malaysia for a mini tour to promote his latest single “Jangan” as he has been making appearances at malls within cities and also at university along with Warner Music artists. So far, the responses have been encouraging and overwhelming as the fans were singing along the chorus when Aziz performed. As he mentioned, he will be taking a gap year to gain experience outside Brunei and performing more live gigs in Malaysia. At the same time, he wants to learn to compose and write song as well as writing for others. He is very grateful that his latest single hit the top chart in Brunei’s iTunes and it will motivate him to constantly work hard and make new music.

Aziz Harun is now being managed by his sister Molly Harun while his previous manager, Bahzi Damit, has focused more on producing videos. The latest music video “Jangan” was produced by Bahzi’s company @beedee.creative. All the scenes were shot in Brunei. The pre-production took 3 weeks while the shooting lasted 3 days with one week of editing. According to Bahzi, this is the second music video that was shot in Brunei after his previous single, “Mama”. For Bahzi, the music video was more of a social experiment kind of video and he hinted that there was a story for which you will need to watch to understand.

Once again, good luck to Aziz Harun on his latest venture and hopefully you will gain more exposure and success.

Aziz Harun with the crew of Scoop

Aziz taking a selfie with his fans in one of the shopping malls at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia recently

Aziz Harun performing at a gig at Kuala Lumpur lately

The responses have been overwhelming

Aziz constantly smiling for every shot taken by his fans

A strong presence in the Malaysian charts, jumping to No.26 from a debut number 46. Let’s hope it keeps rising to the Top 10.

No surprise it topped the Brunei chart on iTunes

Behind the scene of producing the music video of Jangan

Last night T.C.Y. Motors exclusively hosted invited customers and prospects to celebrate Audi’s success year in the Formula E series. It’s good to know that Audi drive Lucas di Grassi (Brazilian) was crowned the new champion of the worldwide Formula E electric racing series back in July.

Audi is the first German automobile manufacturer to race in Formula E. Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler started the fourth Formula E season in Hong Kong in December last year and captured the second place in the team’s standings this season.

For the Audi dealer/importer, T.C.Y. Motors, it was also a great opportunity to launch a few models – the new Audi A5 quattro and the sexy Audi S5 at its showroom/headquarters in Kiarong last night.

John Tan, the Marketing Manager of T.C.Y. Motors (Audi), was very engaging and descriptive in teasing the audience in unveiling the new Audi A5 and the new Audi S5.

For Brunei, the refreshed Audi A5 (available in 2 and 4 door versions) is the most “car tech” packed vehicle on offer featuring the Audi Virtual Cockpit, the navigation with voice command, Smartphone interface including Apple’s CarPlay and an impressive Bang & Olufsen sound system.

The new A5 also features a new petrol engine (252hp/370Nm) with exhaust turbocharger. Both 2-door coupe and 4-door Sportback models come with quattro permanent all wheel drive as standard for Brunei.

Check out the Audi A5 Sportsback

John Tan gave away an Audi fidget spinner to a young fan

An Audi A4 driver won herself an Audi phone charger

Quite a crowd at Audi Showroom at Kiarong last night

The Audi S5 has much sexier appeal – quick, nimble and stylish. The Audi S5 combines quattro all-wheel drive with precise steering, adept brakes and sharp handling. It is powered by a 354-hp turbocharged 3.0 litre V-6 engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The S5 has a more sporty design and design than the Audi A5. The wheels are more exclusive for the 5S edition.

It also comes with the Audi Virtual Cockpit and similarities with the Audi A5 – be it the Smartphone interface and the Bang & Olufsen sound system.

In a nutshell, the Audi S5 is a levelled up performance equivalent of the Audi A5.

Guess what? The 3 units of the Audi S5 were quickly bought even before the unveiling. Now that’s an encouraging news for Audi and its dealer.

So much to love about the Audi S5 and if you want to view the Audi A5 and the Audi S5, do drop by the Audi showroom at Kiarong. The sales person will be there to assist to your inquiry and hopefully you will be able to test drive both cars.

Check out the Audi S5

The Audi Virtual Cockpit

The Smartphone interface and the Bang & Olufsen sound system

Many have been eyeing the Audi S5 and three have been sold so far as we speak

Great food by @e.a.t_bn last night. Impressive!!

Apart from the A5 and the S5, the big hit Audi Q2 still looks damn sexy and affordable too

Congratulations to 123 students on achieving medals on your Kumon journey

Caley Lim, Chief Instructor of Kumon Diligent, thanked the parents for their belief and support. She’s also expecting her first child in December. Congratulations to you and Chris 😀

Kumon Diligent welcomed over 300 parents and students at its Advanced Student Award Ceremony held on Sunday September 24, 2017 at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom, Empire Hotel & Country Club. The event was officiated by Mr. Allan Menagh, General Manager of Kumon Asia & Oceania who flew into town to celebrate the effort and success of Kumon Diligent’s students. The award ceremony acknowledges students currently working on material that are above their current school grade level.

“Our mission in Kumon is to discover each child’s innate and infinite potential and then help him or her pursue it”, shared Chief Instructor Caley Lim. “Students who can advance to a high level of Mathematics or English proficiency extend their thinking abilities; they gain creative thinking skills to develop the ability to tackle and solve problems in the future, without explicitly being taught.”

In two years, Kumon Diligent has seen over 300 students through its doors. Kumon Diligent accepts students of all ages and abilities; with the support of its parent community, it has seen the Kumon Method transform children into more confident, motivated and independent learners. Caley was also grateful with the full time and part-time assistants that have been instrumental in the growth of the students.

Kumon is the world’s leading after-school enrichment programme for students from preschool through university. Kumon enables students to actively develop their self-learning skills rather than passively receive instructions from Instructors. Kumon students study independently at a level that is appropriate to their ability. By progressing in small steps, they gain the confidence and knowledge to solve challenging problems. This individualised self-learning method has effectively improved the study skills of millions of students worldwide, maximised their potential and nurtured them to be the best they can be. As of June 2017, over 4,310,000 students have been enrolled under the Kumon Method in 50 countries around the world.

Kumon Diligent is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and is located at Unit 31, Ground Floor, BT Complex, Kg Jaya Setia, Bandar Seri Begawan BB2713, Brunei Darussalam. Kumon Diligent can be contacted on 719 3231, by email at kumondiligent@outlook.com or through its social media pages on Facebook and Instagram @kumondiligent

Rhyanna receiving her medal award during her birthday last Sunday

Matthias, Rhyanna’s cousin bagged two medal awards for both Math and English

Mr. Allan Menagh, General Manager of Kumon Asia & Oceania gave away the medals to all the recipients

Parents were proud to see their children reaching milestones

The adorable twins

The VIPs of the day – the students

A proud mother accompany her daughter

A student who commutes from Seria to attend Kumon Diligent

Harris Aditya queuing up for the medal honour

This is such an adorable sight

Intrigued by our events this past weekend? Join us this Saturday evening if you want to find out how we work with our Students and Parents to try and get the best out of them! Contact 719 3231 to let us know you’re coming.

The Suzuki Ignis with the Hikarii bodykit with the sales team of Boustead Sdn Bhd (Suzuki) at The Mall today

Check out the Suzuki Hikarii Roadshow at The Mall. Happening today and tomorrow, Sunday 24th September. So far it has been a good hit among the crowd. Their roadshow has been overwhelming since morning.

The Suzuki models that are being showcased are the Suzuki Swift GLX/GL and Suzuki Ignis. Now they are fitted with a bodykit called “Hikarii”. Both the models were launched a few months ago and now for interested customers, you can enjoy the additional bodykit on these models and yes, they are JPD approved.

There will be games and mascot appearances hosted by McDonald’s at the Mall Atrium to support the Suzuki Hikarii Roadshow. And who knows you might be the lucky ones when you get a FREE McCafe voucher for every prospect who checks out the Suzuki models.

On Sunday, there will be a colouring contest, also hosted by McDonald’s.

So do drop by The Mall to check out the Suzuki Hikarii Roadshow and tomorrow is the final day.

A nice finish for the Suzuki Ignis

The Suzuki GLX with Hikarii bodykit

McDonald’s running activities for the children

The appointed agent for the Suzuki Hikarii bodykit

Sales team with the McDonald’s mascot

Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Hajah Nurul Amal Munjiatul Athirah, Junior Producer at Origin Film, Wardi bin Haji Mohammad Ali, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism) at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT)and the Secretary of the Brunei Tourism Board, Siti Kamaluddin, co-founder of Origin Films and Din Kamaluddin, co-founder and producer of Origin Films during the press conference of Brunei Film Blitz at Progresif Headquarter

Wanna win cash prize for showcasing your talent? There are two categories – The Open Category for BND 5,000 and the 48 Hour Film Blitz for BND 10,000. The respective winners will also walked away with a camera.

This was announced by Wardi bin Haji Mohammad Ali, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism) at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT)and the Secretary of the Brunei Tourism Board and Siti Kamaluddin, the founder of Origin Artistic Management at Progresif Headquarters last weekend.

The event known as Brunei Film Blitz will be finale for the Brunei December Festival 2017 and it will be held on 29th to 31st December 2017. The three day event includes a screening of shortlisted films, master classes with industry professionals, a 48-hour Film Blitz and an awards night.

So let’s go in-depth with the categories: the open category is where film makers can submit their films of any genre (fiction, documentary or animation). It must be shot in Brunei Darussalam and the entry can be of length below 12 minutes duration inclusive of titles and credits. You can send in your older clips but short films made before 2016 will not be accepted. You can send in as many short films as possible. Of course, the more the merrier. The first prize will be BND 5,000 prize and a camera.

As for the 48-hour Film Blitz, it’s new of its kind film competition. The challenge comes when the participants were only given 48 hours to create a short movie. The other catch is that the participants will be given a “secret ingredient” that has to be included in their films. The grand winner of this category will win BND 10,000 and a camera.

The interesting thing is that both categories are open to all walks of life – meaning it’s open to Bruneians, Permanent Residents and everyone, and I mean, everyone, be it tourist. The condition is simple. Just make sure the videos/films are shot in Brunei Darussalam to be eligible. This also means all film makers in Brunei can partake in this contest. Don’t be shy 😀

On Friday 29th September, Origin will host a workshop with industry professionals. For your info, the juries for the competition will be international film makers and sponsors.

Wardi was very excited that this event will help to spur the creativity among the locals and at the same time, showcasing what Brunei Darussalam has to offer. He also hopes tourists will join in the contest. Siti Kamaluddin wants the entries to be creative and open, unearthing their talents in film making in Brunei context. So you can even talk about things like ambuyat, durian, kampung ayer, simply anything.

Registration is already open and you can download the form here and then submit to Origin Artistic Management, Unit 7 BT Complex, Jalan Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa BE2513, Brunei Darussalam.

You can also follow @bruneifilmblitz on instagram for updates.

Team Mardi and Amy working around the clock during the rehearsal of Shrek the Musical at JIS Arts Centre Theatre

Relentless Entertainment Brunei will be holding their fifth (5th ) musical production, ‘Shrek’ The Musical this weekend.

The musical will take place for two (2) days – Saturday, 16th September (7.30pm Premier Show) and Sunday, 17th September (1.30pm Matinee show and 7.30pm evening show) at the Jerudong International School (JIS) Arts Centre Theatre.

Tickets are priced at $25 & $35 (Based on seating zones) and are available for purchase at Relentless Studios (B21, 2nd Floor, Gadong Central), R&C Café (UBD Library), The Coffeebean & Tea Leaf Times Square, Supa Save Mata Mata & Supa Save Seria outlets as well as YippyTune Music School (B19, 2nd Floor Gadong Central).

Tickets will also be available at the door during the performance but do contact please contact 8243222 / 7186225 if they still have seats.

Rano’s thoughts: I’ve seen quite a few musicals produced by Relentless Entertainment and my favourite has been Belle. The production value also have improved over the years and the JIS Arts Centre Theatre is always a great venue for a musical play.

I paid a visit during their rehearsal recently and the team has been really hard as always to make this a success. The team have been practising for at least three months and during the rehearsal, they looked solid.

The costumes looked awesome and even the props!! Do watch out for the giant dragon on stage.

Princess Fiona and Shrek

Team Lord Farquaad

Lord Farquaad and the gingerbread man

At the dragon’s liar

The fairy tale creature

FREE PREVIEW:
[Presentation Skills for Youth – September Intake]
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Academic excellence is futile if we are unable to articulate our ideas and opinions to the world.
To parents who wish to empower their children (14-20yrs old) with the ability to achieve success by communicating effectively, find out how by attending this free preview.
Book a seat by texting +673 8777818 or log on to www.articulation.co to find out more.

How can the youth benefit from this workshop? Straight As and degrees that used to guarantee scholarships and a job offer are now a minimum requirement. With increasing competition, year by year, how do you ensure that you shine the brightest among all the other stars?

To stand out among your peers, you must complement your academic excellence with your ability to communicate.

Get ahead by learning how to clearly think logically, present cohesively, construct arguments intelligently and express your unique opinions in educational settings and beyond. Excel in your class presentations, oratory contests or scholarship and entrance interviews. It’s never too early to start learning effective communication.

At Articulation, we believe youth have the unlimited potential to achieve boundless successes in the future. Let us equip you today with the knowledge and confidence to communicate your ideas to the world, tomorrow.

Stuart Lee with the young executives recently in September

About Stuart Lee.

Stuart Lee is a trainer and award-winning speaker. For the past 15 years, he has trained over hundreds of speakers to communicate effectively and also mentored many international speech champions. He has the ability to identify, nurture and fulfil the potential of individuals through a unique blend of unconventional methods and real life experience.

In 2013, Stuart became the lead trainer of Rhymin & Partners conducting over hundreds of training. He has trained more than a thousand participants from government ministries, multi-national companies, local corporations, companies and SMEs in Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.

Before he was a trainer, Stuart started his career at 23 as a lecturer teaching public speaking for IELTS students. Since then, he has also been in various corporate communication positions for 10 years across the media, advertisement, ICT and construction industries in Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.

Throughout his career, Stuart has been involved in numerous speaking engagements as a speaker, emcee, judge, coach, and moderator.

In 2014, Stuart was privileged to be the first ever TEDxspeaker in Brunei at the TEDxGadong. Moving in full circle, he recently became the trainer of the latest batch of TEDxGadong speakers. Among others, he also trained the Brunei Info-Communication Technology Awards (BICTA) participants, UBD debate team, RTB DJs and the TAIB Entrepreneurs Program.

Occasionally, he has also moderated regional and international events such as the ASEAN Summit, AMBD workshop, National Environment Conference and for local NGO’s such as SCOT’s, Beach Bunch and ASEAN Youth Conference. He has also judged speaking contests such as the UBD/BSP Green Debate, IET’s Present Around the World competition, iCentre’s IGNITE Entrepreneurship Challenge and TAIB Entrepreneurs Program Finals among others.

Shaun Hoon, the founder of Inspire magazine, will be sharing a compilation of the most powerful stories and lessons learned from the publications

Inspire will be launching the first of the 8 Masterclass Series starting Monday, 18th September, for the next 4 weeks. The organizer will be kicking off with the title on “The Art of Selling” by sharing about why the top sales professionals succeed, and interesting observations such as the similarities and differences between selling a pair of $100 shoes and a $1 million oversea property from personal experience.

The Masterclass Series will be conducted by Shaun Hoon, the founder of Inspire magazine, who will be sharing a compilation of the most powerful stories and lessons learned from the publications. According to Shaun, this is an initiative to help counter the wary mindset faced by business owners today, who are going through the current economic challenges. Shaun noted: “We can either sit there and whine about the situation, or come together to remove the scarcity mindset through education and collective thinking.”

What makes these Masterclasses unique is that unlike academic studies, they do not engage in discussing theories or hypotheticals. “Each Masterclass is guided by powerful stories of success and failures, for students to gain from the strategies that worked and learn through the lessons from prior mistakes, to level up their game.” According to Shaun.

“It is my objective to conduct these Masterclasses in a small, intimate setting to create the perfect conditions to help attendees to broaden and foster a growth mindset through two ways interactions, whilst being supported by likeminded people that will encourage and make each other accountable for succeeding.” He further added.

These Masterclasses are for the people whom the organizer describes as “the students of life”, those who want to find purpose and give meaning to their work, change the world for the better and those who are serious about lifting their games.

What attendees are expected to Learn from these Masterclasses include:

• How to be a masterful communicator.
• How successful people think and function.
• How to create business opportunities out of nothing.
• The life skills required to overcome any adversity.
• How to discover your value, and life purpose and how you can make a difference.

According to Shaun, what makes these Masterclasses valuable are not just the lessons from his own experiences, but some of the sharing of the most powerful stories and strategies used by the most successful people whom he interviewed in Brunei and around the world for Inspire magazine. Some of them includes: Robert Kiyosaki, Fan Bingbing, Marshall Goldsmith, Shila Amzah, Dato Timothy Ong and Wu Chun.

The organiser will be giving out 5 complimentary slots for each session to students and individuals who are financially strapped. You can download the full details about the Masterclasses at www.YesInspire.com/training. There are limited seats on each section and you can contact 717 4286 or email shaun@catalyst.com.bn for bookings or details.